Manipulation
by Kirbie
Summary: Post-Battle City. Most likely will remain a one-shot. Sometimes, you speak words that you never really mean, that disappear from your mind as quickly as they come. But to another, those words could mean the world... [YamiBakura] SHOUNEN-AI.


Notes: Ehh. Never tried going into Yami Bakura's head before, and I quite like it in here *looks around* I hope I didn't make him too OOC or anything…*sigh* Need to get used to this place…*sits down* Well, enjoy. 

****

Manipulation

Something's wrong with the Pharaoh. Not that I really care, but it irks me to see my rival so suspicious of everyone. Including his precious aibou.

Just yesterday, Ryou dragged me over to the Game Shop to say hi to Yugi and work on a history project. It was something about Europe, so neither Yami or me could help them with anything. 

So Yugi suggested that Yami go to our place for a while, to give them some peace and quiet while they typed up the report that went with the presentation.

Yami came in from the kitchen, drying his hands with a pale yellow dish towel, having heard the suggestion. He raised an eyebrow at Yugi as if he was silently questioning him, then regarded him silently before slowly nodding his acceptance. Yugi either didn't notice or ignored the fact that it took the Pharaoh two minutes to make up his mind. Now, two minutes may not seem like much when you're occupied. But we were just standing around and waiting for him to decide. I had counted almost all the cracked spots on their plastered ceiling when he finally said yes.

So twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting in Ryou's living room with an extremely quiet Pharaoh. Although I usually enjoy and even prefer the silence, it was starting to get to me this time. I thought that the Pharaoh would have at least said something, made an insult, cracked a joke, _anything_. He was usually a very social person.

So I cleared my throat. "You want a drink?" I asked briskly, hiding my discomfort.

He eyed me for a second before shrugging. "Whatever."

"Any preferences?"

"Coffee, if you've got it." A pause. "Thanks, Bakura."

Utterly surprised, I hastily retreated to the kitchen to make the drinks, calling a "Uhh…no problem" after me.

Opening the cabinet to get the sugar packets, I thought for a while about Yami and quickly concluded that the Pharaoh was not acting normally. I searched my mind for how he usually acted around his hikari and his friends – talkative, cheerful, and carefree, making jokes every once in a while. I always thought that trusting nature of his would get him in trouble one day. But comparing the two, I found that I liked the other side of him better.

Not that I really cared about his mental state anyway. And I'd rather get sealed back into the Sennen Ring for another 5000 years than admit that I liked _either_ part of him.

I shook my head at myself; even if I did care, there wasn't any reason for him to occupy my thoughts completely.

"Hey, Tomb Robber, what's taking you so long? Did you set the coffee maker on fire?"

That's more like him. Maybe I'm making too much of this situation. He's probably fine. Probably decided to take my advice for once or something. None of my business, anyway.

"Very funny, Pharaoh," I grumbled, quickly putting everything on a tray and carrying it back into the living room. I looked up as I entered the living room. The sight made my breath catch in my throat and I stopped dead in my tracks.

Yami had sprawled himself on our couch while waiting for me. He had obviously also opened a window when I had been gone in the kitchen. The wind outside had picked up, making our silky curtains billow. The wind had grabbed a few of his blonde bangs, making them ripple in the breeze. He tilted his head to the side and sharp crimson eyes looked into my chocolate brown ones.

__

Damn. I need a camera… was the first thing that popped into my mind at the scene.

"Are you just going to stand there gaping like a fish, or are you going to bring the drinks over?" Yami snapped irritably, effectively ruining the moment. I mentally groaned. "Don't make me come over there!" he said.

I slammed the drinks down onto the table. _Stupid Pharaoh._ Despite my mental ranting, I managed to hand him a cup of coffee without inflicting any bodily harm upon him.

Yami accepted the cup before peering down into the smooth surface of the previously undisturbed coffee.

I noticed this and frowned inwardly. Maybe he did have a slight problem. _Well, we'll just have to see._

"What's the matter, Yami? My coffee not good enough for you?" I taunted.

He frowned and continued his inspection of the coffee.

"You want sugar?"

Yami shrugged and accepted the pack I tossed him. He poured it all in without missing a beat and stirred vigorously, tossing aside the wrapper. I watched as he, apparently satisfied from the results of his examination, put his lips to the cup.

"I think something's wrong with you," I suddenly blurted out, surprising even myself. Yami jerked violently and the coffee tipped precariously in his hands before he steadied himself.

"What gives you that idea?" he asked icily.

"Well…" I fidgeted. Imagine me, Bakura, squirming because of a simple question. 

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions without any proof," he scolded me gently and took a sip of the swiftly cooling liquid, apparently believing that this conversation was over. _Well, it's not, Pharaoh. Not by a long shot._

"What made you think I didn't have any proof?" I shot back.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then let's hear some of it."

I hate that smug grin of his. I hate his attitude too. If he wants proof, I'll give it to him. "When someone asked you a question or invited you somewhere before, you'd simply accept the offer without really thinking about it. Now, you take more than twice as long as before to decide on something, and you always examine them carefully as if to see if you can figure out their motive."

His attention has returned to the coffee; he's now tracing circles on the rim with his finger. "Is that all?" he asked in a fairly bored tone.

I glowered at him. "No, it's _not_ all. When you hang around with your hikari's friends now, you're completely closed off. You don't laugh or joke as much anymore. In fact, the first time I've seen you be sarcastic in a while was just now, when you were asking me if I set the coffee maker on fire."

"And why exactly would you care?" he asked me delicately, setting the cup on the table.

He had me there. "Your attitude is bothering me, that's all!" I snapped. 

"So you want me to tell you what happened, right?" he asked, sitting up and leaning back.

"Yes, I do," I growled. "You _just_ figured it out?"

"No, it was obvious from the start," Yami shrugged. 

"So, spill," I said, absentmindedly picking apart the sugar packet with my fingers.

"You remember our duel in the Battle City finals, correct?"

"Yes…" _How could I forget?_ "What does this have to do with the finals?"

"Remember your opening moves? All the monsters you sacrificed? Summoning Dark Necrofear just for me to wipe it out so you could play Dark Sanctuary?"

I blinked. "Yes, that's still my best strategy. But I still don't get it."

"Remember what you said after I destroyed Dark Necrofear?"

"Umm…something about how I'd manipulated your every move and you'd done everything exactly as I'd planned?" How was I supposed to remember the exact thing I'd said more than three months ago?

"Exactly," Yami said, snapping his fingers. "After that duel, I looked at myself as both a duelist and as a person, and I realized that the only reason that you were able to do that was that I was too trusting. You'd said that multiple times before, but I saw no reason to change my ways, seeing as how it hadn't affected my dueling or my personal well being at all. But after that duel, I realized that I had to change. I knew that if I had never believed in the Heart of the Cards and had never drawn Slifer the Sky Dragon, then you would have won that duel." He paused. "You're a good duelist, Bakura."

__

Did the Pharaoh just pay me a compliment_?_ I thought, bewildered. I was still trying to process everything he'd just said. Then I realized something.

"So this was all caused because of _me_? It was all _my_ fault?"

"Pretty much, yes," Yami said casually, picking up his cup again. He took another sip and made a face. "Damn, it's gotten cold."

__

Well, I see his reasoning, I thought, trying to think things out logically. _Actually, it's pretty clear. There isn't really anything he hasn't explained…except…_

"Yami, if I was the cause of all your problems, why are you treating me normally? Shouldn't you be angry at me or something?"

Yami looked at me. "Why should I be? You just helped me see sense- I made the decision."

"Yeah, well, as the one who apparently made you 'see sense', I don't like your decision. I didn't _intentionally _do it, you know."

Yami shrugged. "Like you said, it'll save me some pain later on in life."

"Save you some pain? What about your friends? What about your hikari?" I've seen it in their faces, they don't like the way you're acting, and they want to know why." _The Pharaoh's lost his observational skills as well, I see. Well, I'll just have to pull them back. _

Yami was silent.

"Look, I didn't mean for my quotes or my strategies to completely turn you around and send you straight into the wrong direction. I just think that everyone preferred your more trusting nature. So change back, okay?"

Yami nodded slowly before a grin spread slowly across his face. He looked into my eyes and I could feel a blush start to slowly rise, but I fought it down. He leaned closer. "Hey, Bakura?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Thanks for making me see sense."

We leaned closer together. Our lips were about to touch when the front door slammed open, jerking us apart. Yugi and Ryou were at the door staring.

"Did we _interrupt_ something?" Yugi asked slyly.

Me and Yami looked at each other and blushed furiously.

"Well, I take it that you two are a couple now," Ryou said with such unnatural briskness that it startled me.

I looked at Yami, who smiled back at me. Not smirked. Smiled. He'd never smiled at me before, that I knew of anyway. To Ryou, plenty of times, but never to me.

"I love you, Yami," I whispered in his ear.

"Always," he whispered back to me.

"Ew! Yami, wait until we're out of the room before you start with the mushy stuff please?" Yugi shrieked.

Yami stood up from the couch and started chasing after his aibou, both of them laughing and screaming at each other while me and Ryou looked on, laughing.

Well, Yami's temporary personality switch is over. He's back to normal.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

~*~Owari~*~

End Notes: Awwww, cute. This was _way_ better than my Seto/Yami one, so review please? No flames. Oh yes, and I'm only exposed to the dub (*cries*), so all the card names are the American ones. Hope you liked it; I wrote it in about three hours and it's up before Thanksgiving because I'm going to West Virginia tomorrow *rolls eyes* Anyone want me to do a sequel? I might consider it, I really liked this fic. 


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